Nesting seagull halts play at Hague football club

An amateur football club in The Hague has been forced to rearrange its fixtures after a seagull built a nest beside one of the goalposts on its main pitch and laid two eggs.

VV Haagse Hout closed off part of the pitch after the discovery last week, secretary Jan van Cuijk told regional broadcaster Omroep West. “It throws the whole schedule into chaos,” he said.

Saturday’s first XI home match had to be moved to the club’s artificial pitch, which displaced a scheduled veterans’ game. That match was cancelled altogether.

Red and white tape now cordons off the goal area, and a school sports class that wanted to do javelin practice was asked to move to the other side of the field.

Bird sanctuary staff said they had never come across a seagull nesting on a football pitch – gulls typically nest on roofs or beaches. The nest is legally protected and cannot be disturbed.

The club expects the eggs to hatch in around 28 days.